This book can light up the imagination of a young person interested in doing science with their own hands. It did for me. ( )

I had this book when I was a teenager and loved it. I could neither acquire nor afford most of the chemicals that I would have wanted, but I did finally get the local pharmacist to order me some alum.

My few successes and many failures using this book were so rewarding, and the explanations of equilibrium and saturation were so well done and interesting that this is one of a handful of books that led me eventually to become a professional chemist almost thirty years ago. ( )

Remarkably easy to read and understand, this book contains recipes for growing your own beautiful crystals at home, but also a wealth of chemical and physical information described in clear language with simple black-and-white drawings and photographs. ( )